The Olathe Fire Department is saying to leave the fireworks to professionals. (KCTV5)

OLATHE, KS (KCTV) -

The Olathe Fire Department is saying to leave the fireworks to professionals.

Many will celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks, but even something as simple as a sparkler can cause serious harm.

The tip of a sparkler can burn as hot as 2000 degrees, right around the same temperature as a blow torch.

“About a quarter of the firework injuries that go into the emergency rooms are all related to a sparkler,” Capt. Mike Hall said.

That’s why the Olathe Fire Department is warning about the dangers of fireworks.

“To give you a respect or understanding for just exactly how hazardous these can be," Hall said.

According to University of Kansas Health Systems burn unit nurse Mary Theis, 27 patients came through their emergency room last Fourth of July.

"Typically around Fourth of July, we see a lot of hand and face burns from people shooting them off in their hands or because they explode around their face," Theis said.

She says if you do get injured, it can cause more than just pain.

“It can cause skin damage obviously, and then if that’s not treated you can get infections, sometimes we have traumatic hand injuries, or amputations. Things like that," Theis said.

Hall says if you plan to purchase fireworks, don’t plan to bring them into Olathe city limits. That’s because the sale or possession of fireworks in Olathe is prohibited.

“Check out a public display. A lot of safety precautions go along with that and they’re also spectacular," he said.

The city of Olathe will be setting off fireworks at the College Boulevard Activity Campus on July 4. For a listing of other cities fireworks, click here. And be sure to check with your city or county to see what is allowed or what isn’t.

A Facebook post from a local teacher that said the Florida shooting had her so on edge she was actually considering ending her 35-year career in education had us wondering how many other teachers are having that kind of internal crisis.

A Facebook post from a local teacher that said the Florida shooting had her so on edge she was actually considering ending her 35-year career in education had us wondering how many other teachers are having that kind of internal crisis.